Dark Water Runs Deep

Bronwynne Brent might look like another relic from the ‘70s, with her flowing brown hair, flowery frocks and guitar in hand, but that assumption proves wrong when you actually listen to her music. Hailing from the Mississippi Delta, Brent has spanned the South, playing shows everywhere from New Orleans to Nashville, writing and performing her own music. She picked up a country-Americana influence along the way. Brent has been praised for emulating Joanna Newsom and Jesse Sykes, but she is perhaps more reminiscent of Jill Sobule, or the confident, slow and catchy tracks of Jewel. With a full band backing her, Brent has the luxury of incorporating instruments like the pedal steel guitar and the Hammond B-3, which contribute to the fluidity of her music, each song gracefully transitioning into the next, freckled with delicate instrumentals.

Brent’s lyrics read like pages from her diary, asserting lines like “the cold wind it blows me, straight back to your door,” or begging the question “won’t you reassure me that it’s all right?” Luckily, Brent has an all-star band supporting her heart-spilling, and packs just the right amount of emotion into each ballad. Brent’s album, Deep Black Water, was produced by Mike McCarthy, who has the cred of working with stars like Spoon and Heartless Bastards, and her band is composed of Grammy-nominee Chris Maresh, J.J. Johnson, David Grissom, Ricky Ray Jackson and Ian McLagan. These guys, who mostly come from Austin, all have plenty of experience under their belts. Brent couldn’t have a better group of guys to help her break into the scene.